Chapter 33: Chapter 33

I couldn’t express how impressed I was with my two friends. Who would’ve imagined that an emergency room doctor and a perky sales rep could concoct Molotov bombs in a kitchen? And even use them against rabid vampires?

“Vampires are afraid of fire, right? With these, we can drive them away. It might buy us time to get Irina,” Mel said. Her eyes were twinkling with excitement.

“When did you two make these?” I asked.

“While you were moping about waiting for Prince Charming to come back, we thought we could practice our bomb making skills. What did you think we were doing in the kitchen, baking brownies?” Jan said with a girlish giggle.

“I just hope Nick won’t be too mad at us for setting his place on fire,” Mel said.

“Leave it to me. I’ll lob those beauties out the door and straight at Kris’s face. I used to be on my school’s basketball team, remember? It will be just like shooting a three-pointer,” I said, already planning my aim.

“Oh, yeah! I’d forgotten about that. Okay, let’s do this. We’ll light these babies up and you throw them at those nasty vamps,” Mel said, reaching into her pocket for a mini lighter.

The three of us crept to my hiding place and readied our weapons of arson. Garrett was in and out of consciousness. But he grinned when he understood our plan. He gave us a thumbs up before slipping back to oblivion.

“Okay, girls. Are we ready?” I said to Jan and Mel. Both of them nodded, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

“Great!” I said, getting to my knees to peek over the planter box. Kris and her friend were still standing like odd sentinels outside the door. Perfect. I glanced down at Mel, saying, “Light two of those babies up.”

Mel nodded and took two bottles from Jan. After lighting up the wicks, she gingerly handed one over to me. With a final reassuring smile at my incredibly smart friends, I took my three-pointer stance and aimed at Kris’s feet. I wanted her to burn slowly.

“Hey, Kris. This is for Irina and Garrett,” I said and swiftly chucked the lighted bottle a couple of inches from her sandaled feet. It landed just where I wanted, spreading fire and glass shards all over Kris when it exploded.

It took a heartbeat for Kris to realize what was happening. Then she screamed and began stamping out the fire. Her friend moved away from her, looking horrified. But I didn’t give them time to recover. I sent the next three bottles flying at them in quick succession, one hitting Kris’s friend squarely in her disgusting mug. She ran away screaming like a banshee, clawing at her flaming face. Kris was writhing on the ground, her legs now totally engulfed in flames. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but I couldn’t. I had better things to do. Once she started dragging her burning carcass away from the door, Mel, Jan, and I jumped out from behind the planter box and ran for Irina. We tried to be as careful as we could in moving her, but haste was our bigger priority. If Kris or her friend caught us in the open, we would all be dead meat.

Garrett was conscious enough to get up, and with Mel holding on to the slim Irina, Jan and I helped him up from the floor. The nearest safe place I could think of was Nick’s bedroom. Once we were inside, we locked the door and assisted Mel in placing Irina on the bed. Garrett sat on the maroon armchair set beside the door.

“We need medical supplies, Mira. Irina needs to get treatment immediately,” MeI said, looking over Irina’s wounds.

“I need an ice-cold 1.5 bottle of Coke,” Jan said, slumping beside the bed.

“We have to get to the Infirmary,” I said, glancing around Nick’s room. Where could the elevator to the Infirmary be? Was it even here in this room? Maybe. Nick would want to have quick access to it.

“Awesome! How do we get there?” Mel said.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

As I walked around the room, looking for clues to the hidden elevator’s location, we heard a loud banging from outside. Then, someone was at the bedroom door, trying to gain entrance.

“Mira? Are you there?”

It was Nick! I ran to the door and was about to turn the doorknob when Garrett grabbed my arm, stopping me.

“It might be another trick. Ask him something only the two of you know about,” he said.

“But that’s Nick! I know his voice,” I said, annoyed by the intrusion to our imminent reunion.

“Just ask him. Please.”

He had a point. Kris had proven herself a wily opponent. We couldn’t underestimate her anymore. Besides, there was no harm in being overly cautious.

“Nick, is that you?” I said, leaning against the door.

“Yes! Fuck, Mira, just open the door, will you?” the voice on the other side said.

“If you’re Nick, tell me, on our first date, which flowers were on our table and what color were they?” I said, holding my breath.

“What? Are you fucking out of your mind? How should I—”

“Think back, Nick. I know you forget nothing. I won’t open this door unless—”

“Roses! And they were white and red. There were also white candles and a bottle of champagne chilling inside a crystal bucket filled with ice. And we laughed when I spilled the champagne. Our server wore a gold and red bolero, which you thought looked—”

It was enough. More than enough. He remembered every detail of that magical night. I flung the door open and jumped into Nick’s waiting arms, tears streaming down my face unheeded. I finally felt safe.

“Oh, Mira. What happened? Are you okay?” Nick said, pulling away to look down at me, his eyes looking for signs of injury.

“I’m okay. I’m not hurt. Are you?” It was my turn to look him over. I sighed in relief when I saw that, except for the tiny gashes on his cheeks, he looked perfectly fine.

“No, love. I’m not hurt. Fuck, I was so worried about you,” Nick said, capturing my lips with his, relaying all the pent-up emotions he’d been holding back. I responded in kind, not bothering to hold anything back.

It was only when the clearing of throats grew a little too loud that Nick ended our glorious kiss, but not before pecking my lips one last time. Stefan and Marcus were both at the door, looking like they had gone through a meat grinder. They had claw marks on their faces, their clothes almost torn to shreds.

“Hey, you guys look terrible,” Garrett said, coughing up blood.

“And you look utterly fantastic. Fuck, man! That’s going to earn you a longer R&R than the rest of us,” Marcus said, his eyes betraying the worry he was trying to hide.

“Someone made a real mess out there. Was that your handiwork?” Stefan said, squatting beside Garrett’s seat.

“Not entirely. These three ladies helped. I’ll tell you all about it later. After you boyos patch up,” Garrett said, eyes fluttering closed as he slumped against the chair again.

“Where’s Irina?” Nick asked. His eyes turned lethal when he saw his friend lying on the bed, bloodied and unconscious. “Fuck! Those bastards are going to pay for this. I swear it.” He took a deep breath to calm himself, then he scooped Irina up in his arms and turned to Stefan and Marcus. “Let’s get everyone down to the Infirmary. Unfortunately, our resident healer needs healing herself. We can’t do anything more than first-aid at this point.”

“Let me help. I’m a licensed doctor. I’m sure I can deal with a few bloody cuts well,” Mel said, stepping forward.

Nick glanced at me before saying to Mel. “Are you sure? You don’t mind being surrounded by blood-sucking vampires?”

Jan nearly choked on her bottled water at hearing the words she spat at Nick when she learned about his true nature. Mel only laughed and said, “Hey, I’ve been living amongst vampires all my life. I just didn’t know it. Makes no difference to me now.”

Nick nodded, a grin spreading on his lips. “Good to hear. Come, let’s go then,” he said, walking out of the room. He stopped in front of an innocent-looking abstract painting at the end of the hall and pushed it aside, exposing the number pad behind it. After punching several numbers, the wall slid open to reveal a good-sized elevator. All six of us fit inside perfectly, with room to spare.

“Hang on tight, it’s a bit of a long ride,” Nick said when the door slid shut and the elevator began its descent.

The ride remained in awkward silence until Mel broke it. “You should add some piped-in music. Just to distract your passengers, you know. Helps relieve boredom. And claustrophobia.”

Jan was snickering behind her hands but said nothing. Everyone else was looking everywhere but Mel, holding back their own amusement. Only a claustrophobe would mention claustrophobia inside an elevator. Silence ensued until, after a few beats, Mel spoke again.

“Gods, it’s hot in here, too. Better crank up the AC, boss,” she said, her face ashen and sweaty. “Shit! Is this ride not over yet? Where are we going, anyway? The bottom rung of hell?”

I sighed in relief when the elevator jolted to a stop.

“We’re here,” Nick said, biting his lip. He was trying to hold back laughter, the ass!

Mel was out in the flash the moment the door pinged open. She stopped a few feet away, holding her head between her knees. When she stood up, she turned to us, looking embarrassed, and said, “Sorry about that. I’m not very fond of long elevator rides.” We all brushed it off and pretended we didn’t notice. Once we entered the Infirmary, though, and saw how many of Nick’s men needed attention, Mel was back to her professional self. She was once again, Dr. Melanie Castro, MD, through and through.

It’s been three days since Mel took over the Infirmary. Everyone was now on their way to recovery. Irina had regained consciousness, but was still recuperating from her wounds. Garrett was already up and about, completely healed. One thing I noted was how Mel seemed to be more attentive on Jules, although he had the same injuries as Stefan and Marcus. Jan had lost much of her discomfort around vampires and could now converse amicably with Nick’s Knights. Even asking them to debunk popular myths about vampires. The sisters had spoken to their parents about selling their condo unit and moving to Nick’s building. Uncle Florian and Auntie Lillian only agreed when Mel said that the developer was selling the building. It was a white lie, which Jan hated, but they couldn’t tell them the real reason behind their moving. Auntie Lillian would have a heart attack if they told her that vampires were real and were hunting us.

Nick had as yet to find Kris or her remaining companion. The police were investigating the murders of the lobby guards and the unfortunate resident. We fully cooperated, of course, and gave them detailed descriptions of Kris and her two friends. And since we didn’t tell them that the third one was already dead, they were now three of the most wanted in the city. Stills of their faces, taken from the CCTV footage, now plastered everywhere, were regularly shown in the news. I doubted if it would help, though, as Kris had the gift of illusion. She could change her appearance at will. Who knew what she looked like now.

Marcel was the bigger problem, however. Nick filled me in on what transpired when he confronted his now former friend. I could tell that Marcel’s betrayal had deeply hurt him. Nick was not one to take personal connections lightly. But what really bothered him was how he didn’t even suspect Marcel. He couldn’t believe that Marcel had been harboring those twisted ideals all those years without him even getting a hint. Marcel had caused so much havoc, not only in their society, but ours as well, and had put so many lives in danger. Marcel’s faction had overthrown the Royals and dismantled the Council. And now that the Count was still missing in action, Nick was literally on his own.

But he wasn’t alone. He had us. For better or for worse, we were here to stay. And as I sat on the couch in what Mel turned into a lounge at the Infirmary, watching Nick’s Knights and my friends chat up a storm, I felt hopeful. War might come our way, as Nick warned, but this was the best place to be when it did. These people, this bizarre group of vampires and humans, had formed a bond that war would not break, only strengthen.

“You look so serious, my sweet,” Nick said, gathering me in his arms as he sat on the couch. “What’s going on in that overactive brain of yours?”

“I was just thinking about how strange things turned out. A year ago, heck, a few months ago, I never would’ve thought that there was another world hidden inside our own. I wasn’t even into supernatural stuff. Now, here I am, cuddling with a fierce vampire Enforcer,” I said.

Nick chuckled before kissing the top of my head. “And I was just admiring you from afar, wishing I could meet you under better circumstances. Yet, after everything you went through, you have proven how extraordinarily different you are from other women. Other humans, in fact.”

“You’re not my idea of a vampire, either, sir. So, I’d say we’re fairly matched, don’t you think?” I said, wrapping my arms around Nick’s waist so I could pull him closer.

“Hmm...I don’t know. There are still a few things we haven’t tested regarding compatibility,” Nick said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I had to laugh at his not-so-subtle insinuation. Nick’s playful, and sometimes naughty side always amused me. “We’ll get there soon enough,” I said.

“I do hope so. I’m not very good at waiting,” he said, tweaking my nose.

“Well, you better start polishing up that skill,” I said, snuggling deeper into his arms, “because you’re not getting any until I’m ready.”

Nick laughed as he pulled me closer. “Of course, love, of course. But, tell me, sweetheart, don’t you have any regrets? About us, I mean. Aren’t you regretting that you met me and got involved in all of this sordid mess?”

My arms moved to his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. “No. I regret nothing. If I were to do everything all over again, I would still choose this,” I said, kissing him again.

It was the whole truth and nothing but. This was my life now. This was the world I chose, and I would not have it any other way. And no matter what the future might bring, as long as Nick and I were together, everything would be just fine.